"What you are now, we used to be, what we are now, you soon will be"
That was the poem that ushered us into a series of small crypts below the Cappucin church this afternoon. Inside we stepped into the most amazing chapels i have ever seen. All of the decorations, the designs on the ceilings, the altars, everthing was made out of the bones of over four thousand monks. It seems like a very strange and rather morbid concept, but the designs were quite beautiful, and this order of monks beleive that this type of decoration makes us remember that we are mortal and that we all share a common fate (as the lines at the begining indicated). I thought it was so cool, and I bought postcards so when I get home remind me to show you what they looked like!

Venezia

This weekend we went to Venice! Venice is a beautiful city that is much touristier than Rome, but it was fun anyways. We flew in at eight in the morning and then bussed into the city. The weather was really reminiscent of Seattle, a solid gray overcast but it wasn’t too cold. We headed to our hotel first, which Laura had reserved for us online, but when we got there she realized that instead of reserving rooms for February 24th she had reserved rooms for the 24th of March! So we all laughed and set off looking for a new hotel and breakfast. It didn’t take us very long to find a three star hotel that cost about as much as our last hotel that had openings, so we settled in and went out for un cornetto e té! (Everyone else had caffe, but it was Twinings Earls Grey for me :) After breakfast we wandered down the streets near our apartments, looking at all of the amazing glass and mask shops that lined the streets. We had just missed Carnival, but many shops were still renting costumes and beautifully ornate masks. After sticking our noses in every single shop for two straight blocks we stopped for lunch and then it was on with shopping! The next morning we started off on a bus ride through the city- by boat! We took a bus boat down the Grand Canal from the Piazza Roma to the Piazza San Marco- the land of a thousand pigeons. Ewww! This piazza is huge and is home to thousands of pigeons, which you can buy corn to feed if you so choose (Laura did and got swarmed). It is also home to the huge Chiesa San Marco, an old ornate and absolutely enormous church that is encrusted in gold mosaics. Only Veneta and I went inside, the other four girls were boycotting churches for the weekend, but it was definitely worth it. It was gorgeous. And gold. Very very gold. After that we wandered back towards our hotel, where we had stashed our bags. We walked across the Rialto, a famous bridge covered in shops, and then it was about time to head back to Roma. We flew out at six and waved goodbye to a wonderful weekend!

Pompeii Part Du

Giant pots in a ruined house in Pompeii and me with a large pot.

Another pot (hehe) and me crossing a street via the stepping stones.

Here I am standing in the middle of the Ampitheater, where Paige and I ate lunch.

A frescoed wall.This might be a Pompeii bathroom...?

These are plastic body casts from the Garden of the Fugitives


This is a veiw of the Ampitheater through some columns


This is the Temple of Isis

Me in the Theater of Pompeii


This was a fresco on the street... amazing!


Paige in the House of Venus in the Shell

I am hugging a column. Cool, huh? :)

This is the Theater of Pompeii from above

This is a mosaic of a wolf and an amazing veiw




This is the Pompeii Forum

This is an oven... the one we were looking at when we got lost...

This is the first ever "Beware of Dog" sign. Thats what the hwords under his paws say...

This is the veiw off the edge of the lavic plateau the Pompeii is situated on. Pretty isnt it?







This is me in front of the ruins of the Basillica in Pompeii

This is a tomb monument from the Necropolis outside of Pompeii

Pompeii

I got to visit Pompeii this weekend!!!!!!! -Everybody can feel jealous now- But anyways, that was easily the coolest and most exciting thing that I have seen since I have been here. I went with eight other people from our program, and in the first ten minutes into the city Paige and I managed to get lost. I think we were marveling at an ancient oven and everyone else moved on around a corner without us. But we still managed to have a wonderful time. Since we are both interesting in Archeaology we had a lot of fun hypothosizing about the use of different objects we saw and we got excited about the large pots that littered the site. We wandered through the streets and looked into various rooms decorated with beautiful and bright frescoes, ate lunch in the Ampitheater, and saw some of the plaster casts of the bodies of the victims of Vesuvius' eruption. The entire day was so amazing! To walk through such an extensive excavation and to see everything that they found is mind boggling, and then to imagine this city which was frozen in a moment two thousand years ago is just overwhelming. Well I will post pictures soon! I hope everyone at home is doing well!

Exciting times

Today we did nothing but Italian class and creative writing. Paige and I spent the afternoon wandering around Largo Argentina, attempting to translate Italian Valentine's Day Cards. Most of them sent people happy auguries, so if anyone knows what that means, please let me know. Yesterday we learned about Bernini and visited the Villa Borghese, an old pleasure palace now converted into a museum for the family's immense collection of paintings and statues. There were several Caravaggio’s and a Raphael painting and the Bernini statues. There were four of these, the Apollo and Daphne, a David, a scene from the Aeneid, and the Rape of Persephone. They were all so beautiful. Bernini manages to make the marble he uses look like skin, and cloth, soft and pliable. It doesn’t look like marble anymore. It was amazingly beautiful and moving. We also talked about his Four Rivers fountain in the Piazza Navona. But all in all, I am having a fun time over here! Hope things in the States are just as exciting!

Pictures!

I realised that I havent posted very many pictures to my blog, so here are a few. They are from my entire trip, so some of them are from my first week with Grandma and Granddaddy, others are from Florence and others from around Rome. I hope you enjoy!


Here I am in the Piazza del Popolo, sitting in front of a 3000 year old obelisk on a lion fountian. And below I am throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain, a gaurentee that I will return to Rome!

These photos are from a museum that incorporates old industrial leftovers and ancient sculptures. It was a lovely museum and an intriguing contrast.

This is a picture of me giving my small presentation on the Cult of Relics in a courtyard of an old church near Termini.

Here Im lounging on a wall in front of a gorgeous veiw of Rome, if you look closely you can see St. Peter's in the background...

This is the Mouth of Truth, if you stick your hand in and tell a lie he bites it off... I had better tell the truth!

This is the Laocoon, a famous ancient sculpture that influencecd many Renaissance sculpters and painters. It is currently housed in a special exhibit in the Vatican.

These are the Gates of Paradise, one set of doors on the Florintine Baptistry. They are absolutly gorgeous!

These pictures are all from when we climbed up the Duomo in Florence. The Duomo was the first Dome built since Ancient Rome, and it is magnificent and has a stunning veiw. And lots of steps. The veiw was worth every one though.

Last Week

This last week has been an exciting one here in Roma!
We have been learning about Renaissance art, so we have gone to see several sculptures by Michelangelo and paintings by Raphael. Some of these were in the Vatican museums, others were frescos in a pleasure palace across the Tiber and still others were in churches. They were all amazing. The Vatican museums were overwhelming, even the second time through. It was interesting, we took a completely different route through as a class than we did when I went through with Grandma and Granddaddy, saw whole wings that we had skipped before, like the painting galleries, and we still missed the entire Egyptian wing and the Etruscan wing, and I’m sure there were other wings that we missed that I don’t know anything about. Overwhelming. And we got to see the Sistine Chapel again, which is beautiful, even though it is much smaller than I thought it would be. The detail in the paintings on the ceiling and the walls is astounding. The thing I enjoyed most about this particular visit was that I noticed that in one of the side panels, in which Moses had just led the Israelites across the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s Army was drowning, Pharaoh and his army look as if they had recently ridden out of Medieval Florence, they were all brunette white men, complete with the fashionable puffed sleeved, ornately detailed shirts, tight brightly colored leggings, and floppy Renaissance hats. It makes you realize just how little contact they had with other cultures when the painting was painted.
Michelangelo’s sculptures this week were all in churches. We went to see The Moses and had a long discussion about what moment in the story he represented or if the artist had made up a point in the story to represent. Later we went to another church close to the Pantheon where his Risen Christ is kept. This last sculpture is one of his least liked, because from the direction where you can see his face you also notice his extremely spindly legs and a huge behind. But if you walk around to the other side of the statue the change is amazing. Suddenly he snaps into correct proportion and you can see many details that were hidden before. It is a wonderful statue, from that angle. We learned that day that the intended setting for a statue is very important in viewing it correctly. This particular statue was intended for a niche that would have allowed people to only see him from this one side.
I just want to mention that while we were in Florence we also saw Michelangelo’s and Donatello’s Davids, and they were wonderful. We also go tot see Botticelli’s Primavera and The Birth of Venus and a completed Leonardo da Vinci painting and some works by Caravaggio. I was completely overwhelmed by the end of that week at everything that we got to see.
Oh, and at the end of this week we went to see the Catacombs. Those are so cool! And creepy. Very creepy. It feels so overwhelming to walk through these tunnels and see galleries filled with graves stacked like shelves that housed so many faithful for so many years, so many of them are empty now but often you will come across one that is still undisturbed. It was amazing.
How is everyone back home? Let me know how you are all doing!
Ciao!

Hello hello

So I just got back from Florence, and when I have more time I will describe just how amazing that city was. We had an amazing trip. But I just wanted to post and let you all know that on the last day I woke up, felt a bit under the weather, and soon discovered that I had no voice at all. I could not say a single word any louder than a whisper, and my voice stayed like that until Saturday evening, when I was finally able to croak out an answer to someone's question. I just thought that everyone should see my family's genetic tendency towards voice lossage, and I thought you would all appreciate the image of me, standing in the middle of monumental marble statuary, attempting to participate in class discussions in a whisper. I hope everyone is having a terrific day! I will post again soon!

Cinque Terre

This weekend I visited Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is an Italian National Park on the Mediterranean coast. There are five small towns perched along the cliff sides with an 11 kilometer hike between them. They are beautiful. So on Friday afternoon I was sitting in the computer lab with three of the guys on the trip, Ethan, Jeff and Tony and two of the girls, Kim and Veneta. We were considering a trip to Cinque Terre, but we could not get a hotel reservation in any of the cities. Then Tony came up with a brilliant plan; we could do a day trip! The boys figured out that if we left at eleven o’clock that night we could get to the first town, Riomaggiore at four in the morning, wait for daylight, hike to the last town, Montoroso, and catch a train back at seven and be home by midnight on Saturday! Foolproof, right? So somehow they convinced us all and at eleven o’clock we found ourselves setting out on an adventure.
By four in the morning we were all exhausted. We had switched trains twice, and one of those times the arriving train had been late and we had sprinted across the station to hop on the train right before the doors closed. Now we were on a smaller train looking for the Riomaggiore station. Unfortunately we didn’t see that particular sign until we passed the station, so we ended up in Monorolo, the second of the five towns. When we stepped off the train we saw the clearest night sky I have seen in a long time. Stars sparkled in the velvety black sky as we stood on the train platform, arguing about where we were and where we should go. After a few minutes we decided that, after looking over the dark water and admiring the stars, we would head back to Monorolo and await daylight. We wandered through the deserted streets, admired the crashing of the waves against the rocks, and Jeff and I fell asleep in the middle of the town square while the rest of our group played cards. After a few chilly hours daylight broke and we discovered that the trail between Monorolo and Corniglia was closed due to a rock slide, so we headed back to Riomaggiore with the intention of finding breakfast and buying a train ticket to Corniglia.
The walk between Riomaggiore and Monorolo is called lovers lane, and it is one of the most beautiful walks I have ever been on in my life. We saw it at sunset, while the sun was rising pink over the hills in front of us, turning the waves at the bottom of the cliff a lovely rose color. We were all amazed. When we got to Riomaggiore the train was waiting, so we hurriedly bought our tickets and hopped on. After a short ride we arrived in Corniglia and found ourselves a breakfast of hot cornettos and caffe lattes, or green Earl Gray tea for me. We then took an hour to explore the town, which is exactly what I thought a Mediterranean town would look like, with its bright pink, yellow, and orange houses with their green shutters thrown open to the sun, over looking terraces vineyards and the sweeping expanse of the sea.
The next hike was also gorgeous. It was a little more difficult, with many many stairs and a narrower stone pathway that wound up and down the cliff side. It took us through olive grove and around vineyards and out into the cliffs where no one lives. The views from that trail were astounding. And it ended in the prettiest of the towns, Vernaza. Vernaza is built surrounding a sheltered bay with a castle sitting on the end of the point. This was the town we expected to get lunch in, and which we combed looking for a restaurant. But apparently there are no open restaurants in January, so wee made due with sandwiches fro the local grocery store before heading out on the last, and hardest leg of our hike.
The last leg of the trail was very beautiful as well, but it was also the hardest. Partially because we had already walked for so long, and partially because of the number of stairs involved, we were all winded by the time we got to the highest point in the trail. But this trail was definitely the most interesting. It was much narrower than the other trails, and it wound through working vineyards and over small streams with old stone bridges covered with ivy. But I think we were all glad when we rounded a bend and spotted Monterosso.
The first thing that we saw of Monterosso were the beaches. This was the first of the towns we had been in that had long, sandy beaches, and it took us no time at all to scamper down the hill, kick off our shoes and go wading in the Mediterranean. The water was cold and felt so good on out tired feet. Tony and Ethan were quite excited and actually managed to go swimming- dunking completely under for one quick moment before running out again screaming about the cold. We spent the rest of the day wandering though Monorosso, finding lovely wine bars and restaurants and tourist shops. Then at seven we were back on the train, dead tired and heading home. It was an amazing adventure filled day!

Boots again

I bought boots! Yay!

Boots

And for the record I have not found any boots that I can zip up all the way yet. I am still looking though.

Two Churches and a Cold

Ciao!
We are all studying hard here in Roma. However we have had an outbreak of sickness in our group- several people have got the flu and just about everyone else has a cold, runny nose, allergies, or some other ickyness. Fortunately I have only had a cold (or allergies, I can’t tell which) so the worst that I am dealing with is going through a box of tissues a day.
This week we have started learning about the early Christians. Yesterday we went to visit two medieval churches, and they were exquisite. The first is from the eleventh century or so, but it was built atop another church from the fourth century which as built atop old Roman apartments and temples. It has all been well excavated and restored, and they let people go down into the basements to explore the ancient temple and the older church. It was amazing! We could see the river that was once used to flood the Colloseum flowing through the basement, and the ancient roman temple still had stars painted on the stucco of its ceiling! Then, when you rose one level you could see the ancient church. It was so amazing. The church still had the same form, but it was much simpler and less ornate than the later churches. It also had the first instance of written Italian ever on one of the frescos, which was so cool! The walls were decorated with frescos that were still mostly intact and the floor still retained much of its mosaic work. Going up yet another level brought you into the eleventh century church, which is still used today. It has a beautiful mosaic floor made by slicing old colored marble columns and turning the pieces into a patchwork quilt-like design. The nave of the church was also exquisite. It was a mosaic done in glass paste tiles that haven’t faded over the last thousand years. It was beautiful.
The second church that we visited was a newer church that was also used as a fortification that the Pope would flee to whenever the fighting between the papal and the Imperial troops got to dangerous for him at his church. We saw a beautiful fresco there and a lovely cloister garden. The church is inhabited by one of the most cloistered order of nuns. They have as little contact with the public as possible, so getting to see the cloister was a treat. It was so calm and peaceful, with a little fountain in the middle of beds of day lilies and camellias inside a small courtyard with graceful double columns all the way around. It was a lovely way to end the day.
I hope everyone at home is doing well, and I hope you save a little of the snow for me J
Kristine

Its Been Awhile

Hello!
This last week has been very busy. I am finally settled into my apartment and my classes, and I am getting to know my wonderful roommates and classmates.
On Saturday Saldi started- Italy's bi-annual sale! All clothing, by law, is a mandatory 20-30% off, and some stores are up to 60% off! I have been shopping up a storm, and it has been fun! It has been a real bonding experience to wander around the city looking for the best sales. It is also a bonding experience to attempt to walk in new heels on the cobblestones, but so far only one girl has sprained her ankle, and that wasn't a very bad sprain (and it wasn't me!).
Oh, and my camera died on Tuesday. It doesn't open anymore (?) so I am living off of the mercy of other people's pictures. It is quite depressing.
This last week in art history we covered most of ancient Rome. We discussed triumphs and the triumphal arches, the Colosseum, the Ara Pacis Aguste, Trajan's column, forum and markets, the Pantheon, and the Roman baths. We inspected the differences between the Republic and the Imperial systems and their influences on the buildings and use of space within Rome. I have learned so much so far, and I am very excited for the coming weeks. This week we start on the early Christian Church and I have my small presentation on the cult of relics. Wish me luck!
I miss all of you back home, and I envy the snow I hear you are getting.
Ciao!

Saterday

Buongiorno!
Greetings to everyone who might be reading this. I would just like to say, in a glorious way, I am done with my presentation! Horray! It is the fourth day of the class and I have finished with the major presentation, 40% of our grade. For those who I havent told before, I was studying the Propoganda of the Arch of Constantine and the Roman Triumph. So I gave a talk walking away from the Roman Forum and around the Arch of Constantine, in the shadow of the Colloseum. And I even think it went well. Yesterday we went on a feild trip to Tarquinia to see the painted Etruscan tombs. They were amazing! They are over 2500 years od and the paint is still brightly colored. It was so exciting. I could have spent a day there, just looking at them. We had to take a train to get there too. Quite fun!THe weather here has been gorgeous, clear blue skies and crisp chilly air. Well I hope things are going well in the States.
Ciao!
Kristine

Looking Forward

I am really looking forward to this trip. In particular I am really excited about learning, in depth, about many of the monuments that I otherwise would have just passed by, or seen without understanding the rich wealth of history standing in front of me. I am dreading not eating peanut butter and chocolate for three months.